PENN STATE 86, Illinois 79 - 2OT
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March 06, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) - Shep Garner scored 22 points and Penn State hung on through two overtime periods to beat Illinois 86-79 on Sunday.
Brandon Taylor added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (16-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who secured a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament for the first time in program history. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and marked Penn State's most conference wins under head coach Patrick Chambers.
Josh Reaves added 13 points and Donovon Jack chipped in 10 for Penn State.
Malcolm Hill scored 24 of his 39 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds for the Fighting Illini (13-18, 5-13), who faced a 10-point deficit with just over 12 minutes to play. Illinois lost its second game in a row and will play in the opening round of the conference tournament on Wednesday.
Khalid Lewis added 10 points for the Illini who outscored Penn State 22-12 over the final 8:49 of regulation. But Penn State mounted a 19-9 run that included 9-of-10 shooting from the line to close out the game.
Penn State looked like it would keep Illinois down with steady defense early on.
The Nittany Lions led for 16:13 of the first half including the first 9:14 but never by more than six points. But a shootout ensued down the stretch as the teams swapped the lead six times before Garner nailed his third 3-pointer and converted a soaring layup in the closing minute to give Penn State a 37-36 halftime lead.
Garner finished the first half with 11 points and made three of Penn State's five 3-pointers.
Reaves, who set a career high in points, started hot on the backend, too. He scored six of his eight first-half points and added two blocks in the first 5:30. But his minutes were cut after drawing his second foul with 5:13 left.
With Reaves in foul trouble early, Taylor got going midway through the second half. He ran off seven-straight points, capped by a turnaround jumper through traffic that put Penn State up 53-43 with 12:15 left. But he'd watch that lead shrink.
Sparked by Hill's fluid fadeaway shots, Illinois mounted a 19-8 run capped by a pair of Hill free throws to take a 64-63 lead with 1:58 left.
The teams swapped the lead twice more before Garner tied it 67-67 with a layup that drew a foul with 14 seconds left. He missed the potential go-ahead free throw, but made up for it in the first overtime with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning seconds. Illinois forced a second overtime with two Hill free throws.
But Penn State dominated the glass, pulling down seven rebounds to Illinois' four in the final period. Jordan Dickerson grabbed the biggest one, and kicked the ball out to a wide-open Peyton Banks who nailed a 3-pointer to give Penn State the lead for good in the second overtime.
TIP-INS
Illinois: The Illini made just 4 of 16 3-pointers. Kendrick Nunn was 1 for 6 from 3-point range while Jalen Coleman-Lands was 1 for 4 and Hill made 1 of 3.
Penn State: Reaves continued to blossom despite missing six games with mononucleosis midway through the season. He pulled down three of his seven rebounds in the overtime periods and added a steal in the first overtime.
UP NEXT
Penn State: Big Ten tournament second round in Indianapolis on Thursday.